Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Breathing, Communication and Letting Go

10/23/12

Breathing, Communication and Letting Go

Heavy sigh.A
release.The body calms for a moment and
the mind empties.

Our breath is one way we communicate with our body and
mind. Our emotions and the physical self are preempted by breath. If we breathe
shallow, not allowing enough oxygen to actually connect with our movements we
become sluggish and weak. Our thought process slows, our muscles do not benefit
from proper oxygenated blood flow.

In the practice of yoga we engage in Ujjayi breath.
Ujjayi means “Victory”. It is the internal sigh at the back of the throat that
we draw deep down into our solar plexus stoking the fires of prana (energy).
Ujjayi is used throughout the entire Ashtanga practice and usually used only
intermittently during a ‘regular’ yoga class.

My very first yoga instructor stressed the importance
of breath work and how the mind and body would respond to long, slow deep
breathing.He encouraged Ujjayi breath to
carry out the old, used stale air to be followed by rampant thoughts and
feelings. Inhaling, new clean fresh air to purify the mind and the body.

With focus on Ujjayi breath, we allow the sound of the
internal sigh to fill our head, not allowing random thoughts to invade and take
over. Following the breath, our mind
becomes still and we can get a better perspective on the posture we are working
with. And with a longer breath we can also move deeper into the posture.

Breathing can be a way of communication with the body.
I often instruct my students to breath into a tired, sore or stiff muscle.
“Allow the breath to internally massage the muscle”.

The more we breathe into a posture we can also
experience a sense of letting go. That is after we unclench our jaw and relax
the muscles we are working. Relax the
muscle? Yes, relax in deed.The muscle
can be active and still relax. It’s this relaxation that can allow us to
experience a lengthening when we are holding a posture.

In lengthening a muscle we are allowing the muscle to
release its tension. Releasing musculature tension also allows the mind and
emotions to relax. I believe the more we
allow ourselves to release, the stronger we become. Our mind and body work more
efficiently when we are in a clear relaxed state.